1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a communications system, and, more particularly, to monitoring and adjusting the transmit power level of one or more channels (e.g., the paging, synchronization, pilot, and traffic channels) of the communications system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of wireless telecommunications, such as cellular telephony, a system typically includes a plurality of base stations that are strategically distributed within an area to communicate with users. Various users within the area, fixed or mobile, may then access the system and, thus, other interconnected telecommunications systems, via one or more of the base stations. Typically, a mobile user maintains communications with the system as the user passes through an area by communicating with one and then another base station, as the user moves. The user may communicate with the closest base station, the base station with the strongest signal, the base station with a capacity sufficient to accept communications, etc. Thus, the base stations play a key role for wireless communications.
To maintain a high level of performance, the remotely situated base stations are periodically serviced by technicians. For example, the technicians may perform a power calibration procedure on the base station to ensure that the transmit power levels of the various channels (e.g., pilot, paging, synch, traffic) are at the desired levels. The calibration procedures may be performed for a variety of reasons. For example, calibration may be desired if one or more radio frequency (RF) components in the transmit path of the base station are replaced, if transmit power problems are suspected, or if routine maintenance is performed.
Performing power calibration, however, requires a considerable amount of resources and time. The existing calibration procedure requires the technicians to drive to the remote location of the base station and then to perform a variety of time-consuming, manual calibration steps. For example, the technician first needs to prepare the power meter test equipment, which may include selecting an appropriate power meter out of many available meters for a given base station, reading the technical manual associated with the selected power meter to gain an understanding of the features of that meter, and initializing the power meter (e.g., warming the meter for stabilization) so that an accurate power reading can be taken. Once the power meter is prepared, the technician disconnects a jumper cable from an antenna port of the base station, and then attaches an attenuator and the power meter to the antenna port.
Once the attenuator and the power meter are connected, the technician can measure the power level of one or more components (e.g., radio module) of the base station. However, before measuring a power level of a particular component of the base station, the technician, as part of the calibration process, may need to turn off other transmitting components in the base station to reduce interference. Once the power level is measured, the technician then determines if the measured power level is within an acceptable range based on, for example, an acceptable range defined by the base station's specification. If the measured power level is not at a desired level (i.e., calibration is required), the technician manually adjusts the power level of the base station component until the transmit power is at the desired level.
The above-described calibration procedure can be time consuming, in part because the calibration procedure requires one or more technicians to go to the physical location of the base station to be serviced and because of the various, laborious manual calibration steps involved. The manual calibration steps can not only be time consuming but can also be prone to errors because of the excessive reliance on human intervention. If proper care is not taken, mistakes or errors made during the calibration procedure can damage valuable test equipment, such as power meters. For example, a power meter may be damaged if a technician fails to attach an attenuator before connecting the power meter to the antenna port. Similarly, other electronic components of the base station or test equipment may also be damaged if proper care is not exercised, resulting in the loss of valuable equipment and increasing costs for the service provider.
The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing, the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.